Women are told they should “doll themselves up” – basically alter how they look with artifice, reshaping, and color.
Men are told to strengthen and enhance what they already have – and to unapologetically expose it from cover.
I actually have excellent self esteem.
It’s just that in current society, I know that it isn’t considered attractive to not promote an already acceptible thematic.
So, I guess when I see natural pictures of myself, my mind layers on the criticism from what it thinks other people would think of what I can see.
Is this a leftover survival coping mechanism geared toward outmaneuvering abusive adults too quick to react with displeasure at me when I was a child?
Or is it because I dared to love a man younger than me, and once I turned 50, all this prebiased societal messaging began bombarding my psychology environmentally?
It is difficult for me to establish new ground to stand upon becsuse I do not see anyone around quite like me facing my realities.
The pressure to conform feels daunting, and I am unique in my own proclivities.
Still, ageism may yield hidden benefits.
Candid Corvid Productions 